Ranking the Danganronpa Games

 Written by Shiggins

A Killing Fame.

I want to talk about Danganronpa, so let's do so. A ranking list of the four? Yes, all four games ranked from my least-best to best. I think that will do me well. There were also a couple of mobile games released only in Japan, but one look at them instantly tells me they would have been stuck at the bottom of this list and done nothing but take up space so... let's ignore it and stick to everything I've got downloaded on my ps4!

Note: Some spoilers ahead.

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

To probably nobody's surprise, Ultra Despair Girls makes it to the bottom of this list. A spinoff set between the events of Danganronpa 1 and 2, UDG was a drastic and divisive change to the main series that removed the trials and mysteries that the series was best known for and replaced them with 3D gunplay and puzzle solving. The result is a passable game with lots and lots of issues that can't be ignored.

UDG follows the story of Komaru Naegi, little sister to original protagonist Makoto Naegi, as she is trying to escape a city full of demented Monokuma robots and their leaders, five evil Despair-riddled kids who serve as our main antagonists. Along the way, Komaru teams up with Toko Fukawa and they become a surprisingly effective duo against the villains. Using Komaru's special megaphone weapon, you fire off different kinds of "Truth Bullets" to fight the Monokumas or solve puzzles, and you even get the bonus of playing as Genocide Jill, who is able to slice up the enemies with her special scissors and cutting sense of humour.

The variety of Monokumas are actually quite fun and it is quite interesting to see Danganronpa, a series that's usually confined to just one closed-off location away from the carnage, actually give us a closer look at the madness of the world, but the story is a mess filled with some of the darkest places the series has ever gone. Abuse, brainwashing, rape and more are all elements brought in to the story and it always involves kids... it's a massive red flag that keeps me from recommending anyone play this game, especially since the gameplay itself isn't that special anyway. I mean, I enjoy playing it well enough but you won't exactly lose sleep over missing out on it. The best part about UDG is the friendship between our two leads, as Toko becomes a really likeable and surprisingly endearing character, but I doubt that's going to be enough for most of you. And damn, these cutscenes go on foreeeeeeeeeever.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Like so many other firsts in a video game franchise, Danganronpa's original release back in 2011 is fondly remembered by many for being the one to set the tone, style and gameplay that the series would be known for to this day. You play as Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, who is enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy but finds himself wrapped up in a murder mystery where every student is trapped unless they can murder one of their classmates without getting caught.

As is the case with many firsts, this game has a lot of what makes the series so great but is also lacking in comparison to the sequels, at least in some areas. You run around Hope's Peak Academy to find clues during an investigation, or talk to your fellow classmates to find out more about them and unlock skills to be used in the trials, and eventually uncover the grand mystery as you lose characters in almost every single chapter. 

The reason this one is down lower than the others, despite the wonderfully silly characters and surprisingly engaging plot, is a lack of finesse. Conversations take longer than they need to, flashbacks are repeated to an insane degree ("Mukuro Ikusaba..."), and some of these trials suffer by comparison of future instalments, although part of that is probably due to translation. Leon, Leon, Leon...

 

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Probably the most controversial of the games in the franchise, Danganronpa V3 was a big surprise when it was announced. The first of the series to be made for home consoles instead of portable, V3 was advertised as a somewhat-sequel and somewhat-reboot to the original storyline that concluded in anime form in 2016 and was technically both at the same time. It might have some notable problems, but it took risks too and I can't help but respect that.

Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, wakes up in a strange location known as The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, and comes across a bunch of other classmates that include Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader (who is my precious favourite), and a literal robot who is the Ultimate Robot. 

More trials, more reveals and more plot twists keep this story going at a very fast pace, and there's some interesting ideas throughout, like the power of lying being used for good and the very existence of sequels in this modern world of pop culture. Some of these new characters are among the best the franchise has ever had (I even did an article ranking them ages ago! Click here to read it), the individual trials are almost always a lot of fun, and the actual gameplay is the best the series has had. And as for the final mystery... I personally think it was a lie.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

To the surprise of probably nobody, Danganronpa 2 is easily my winner. The direct sequel to the original, all about the man who can't remember his title Hajime Hinata and his growing romance and sexual tension with best boi and Ultimate Lucky Student Nagito Komaeada. There's also a killing game going on although I don't think that's as important...

In all seriousness, Danganronpa 2 is an improvement over the original in every way. The characters are better, their interactions are better, the minigames are better, the overall story is better, the trials are better... Have I used the word better enough times yet? Honestly, if it wasn't for Teruteru's existence, this would probably be The Ultimate Visual Novel. 

Sure, not every twist lands, the gameplay is slightly weaker than V3's due to it being originally made for the PSP, and Teruteru is terrible, but no game is perfect. The main mystery is stronger than V3's, the individual trials are emotional and fun, and the glory of Nagito begins here. Gundham Tanaka, Ibuki Mioda, Chiaki Nanami, Peko Pekoyama (I just recently discovered how much I love her!)... I could go on for ages about how much I enjoy them, and maybe I will someday, but for now I will leave it here and let you choose whether or not to comment below on which one is your favourite. Or burn. BURN IN THE FIRES OF PANDEMONIUM!!